Skip to main content

tv   Around the World  CNN  December 5, 2013 9:00am-10:01am PST

9:00 am
american classic. feast your eyes. the company unveiled 2015 mustang just last hour. ford says the completely redesigned mustang has more power, better gas, mileage and optional four-cylinder engine. take that, mustang sally. thank you for watching, "around the world" starts now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com 80 degrees of separation, the abnormal weather coming up. >> pope francis, he's at it again, setting up a committee to figure out ways to protect kids from pedophiles. >> plus, this -- >> what do you say to that? these are wiretapped from gang members who say that you offered $5,000, if not more, $150,000, and a car, to confiscate the video of you doing crack on the tape, what would you say to that? >> number one, that's an
9:01 am
outright lie. >> unbelievable. toronto's mayor denying allegations that he tried to buy a damaging video of himself from criminals. you're watching "around the world." i'm suzanne malveaux. >> the gift that keeps on giving. welcome back. >> thank you. >> nice to have you back. >> a birthday celebration. >> i'm michael holmes. bad news to start off with, american teaching school in benghazi, libya, has been shot and killed while out doing his morning exercise. >> chemistry teacher was working at an international school. this happened not far from the u.s. consulate where the u.s. ambassador three other americans were killed in september attack. want to bring in nic robertson to spldescribe what were the circumstances, jogging in a neighborhood not far from where other americans had been killed. >> reporter: the gunmen approached him and shot him when he was doing his morning exercises, the impression given this was a regular thing that he used to do in the morning, the
9:02 am
precise details of where it happened and precisely how the gunmen approached him, we don't know. but this is clearly a very troubling development, a very shocking development, and a tragic development for his family. but it comes just days after al qaeda's american spokesman adam gadna taking vengeance on american's interest. no claim of responsibility so far. it could have been a random act of violence. however, when we look back and see what led up in the days before when chris stevens was killed in benghazi, american ambassador there at the time, we saw just days before that, al qaeda again, the leader of al qaeda, making a statement, putting it out, and calling on libyans to attack american interests. there are similarities there
9:03 am
that it would be hard to overlook and ignore. we know al qaeda under the direction of zawahiri, head of al qaeda, has set up camps in that area of libya. >> nic, i mean, certainly it is tragic, a horrible thing to have happened i've got to admit, talking benghazi, eastern libya, american in public doing his exercises, do we know how many americans might be in that dangerous neck of the woods, civilians? >> reporter: we know it's a very low number. look, the reason that adam gadan called on lib rans to attack americans the united states, two months ago, picked up al libi, suspected of being involved in the attacks in u.s. embassies and kenyan in 199. that was the rational that he used. since that time has -- since that time, it's been very, very dangerous for foreigners, any westerners, to be inside
9:04 am
benghazi? any idea, he must be committed to education. why was they that area? why did he teach that the school? what was behind his mission, if you will? >> reporter: it's hard to know with clarity at the moment. what we do know, reports coming from students, that are coming from the principal there, saying that he was a very, very sweet man, students there posting on social media saying that he was dedicated to them, that he made a difference to only bright light in everything happening to them in benghazi, he appears to be a man very dedicated to helping young libyans aspire to their dreams. >> nic, thanks for that. nic robertson, reporting for us from new york. somebody who spent a bit of time in libya. just seems odd to be in public in benghazi given what's happened there. >> unfortunate story for the situation there. of course the pope making more news. >> every day. >> setting to fight child sex abuse in the catholic church head onnen assembling a pan toll
9:05 am
advise him on protecting children frpedophile. >> this is after the pope met all week with cardinals who are advising him on vatican reforms. details on what to expect. ben wedeman joins us from rome. if there's one issue the catholic church needed to hit head on this is probably near the top of the lisp what can you tell us about the commission, the goal, et cetera? >> reporter: the goal is going to be looking ahead to try to prevent child abuse in the future by members of the clergy. and also to deal or treat the victims of abuse in the past. now, what's interesting is that according to cardinal shawn o'malley of boston who made this announcement today, they're looking to basically stock this commission with people not from within the bureaucracy of the church.
9:06 am
there will be lay people, priests, he said of an international composition, perhaps an indication that pope francis wants to deal with this very pressing very difficult issue for the church outside the bureaucracy of the church. michael. >> ben, obviously, this is a good development here, as a catholic. we've been waiting for information and accountability when it comes to all of this. we do know the vatican refused a u.n. panel information about the church's investigation into sexual abuse of children by the clergy. is there still some secrecy behind what it is that they're discovering? >> reporter: well, the vatican today did respond to a similar question. they said that this u.n. panel wants to go back to 1990 and wants the details of every single instance of abuse by a member of the clergy worldwide,
9:07 am
and the church said that they can't be held responsible for every member of the church around the world. but their attitude is, they're looking forward, as far as this commission goes, not going back into the past to deal with this issue. >> hopefully some comfort to those who were victim to all of that. ben, thanks so much. ben wedeman in rome. >> certainly hope to get some answers to those looking for more answers from the church. back here in the united states, chances are you're either dealing with extreme heat or really wondering what this winter's all about. >> it's crazy. >> cold, wet, hot. atlanta is like -- >> it's 70 here in atlanta, redig lutz. >> love it. >> have a look at this. take you across the country, give you an idea of what's going on. more than 80, yes, 80-degree difference in high temperatures across the lower 48. below zero in montana, mid-80s in florida. >> these guys, they didn't get the memo that it's single digits
9:08 am
in minnesota. that's right. lake superior, stony point beach near duluth, minnesota, waves up to 7 and 9 feet. >> not those ones. >> not that one. >> die-hard surfers don't care about walking through two feet of snow to get to the water. i'd be out there. >> you would? >> nice gentle wave, a nice long board. they ain't seven feet. jennifer grey in the cnn severe weather center. if that's seven feet, i've surfed 15-footers. how weird is it to have this span of temperatures in a single day? >> it's not that uncommon when you have strong cold fronts like we're seeing today. this is the time of year we do see these. the big problem today is really the ice. we have rain, we have ice, freezing rain, snow. through st. louis down to fayetteville, arkansas, seeing small accumulations of freezing rain, sleet, and then as you head down to the south, even places like albuquerque, seeing
9:09 am
snowfall this morning. as we get into the afternoon, and even this evening, right when the sun started to set, that's when we'll see places like dallas, little rock, memphis, that's when we'll see ice start to develop in those areas. it could make for a dangerous situation as you're heading home from work this afternoon, i would try to get home before the sun sets. we could see half an inch or so of accumulation. dealing with that, you could see tree limbs falling, power outages, it could be very dangerous. possibility of four inches or more of snow accumulations for oklahoma city, springfield, and places to the northeast, say ohio valley. these are all of the watches and warnings, winter weather advisories across the south. places in texas, also through arkansas, little rock, you're included in that. tomorrow ice and snow will continue. guys, as we get into early part of the weekend, that's when all of this is expected to move out. >> i've got to ask, why is this
9:10 am
happening? what is this all about? what's behind this? do we know. >> a strong front you get this time of the year. we're getting ice and snow far to south and it is weird for places as far south as dallas, they normally don't get huge ice storms this time of year. they can get some ice but as far south in texas, it is uncommon. but these strong cold fronts can produce ice and snow that we're seeing in the south. >> don't let it get down here. did i say i hate ice? it's the worst. >> it's freaky. atlanta doesn't do well with ice. >> when driving on ice, you're a passenger in your own car. jennifer grey, appreciate that. >> coming up, they are standing as one across hundred cities, talking about fast-food employees on strike now, calling for an increase in the minimum wage. >> catching fire, actually, around the country. also, if you travel abroad, the nsa could be tracking your cell phone. surprised at this anymore? that's the latest that we uncovered from the documents
9:11 am
edward snowden leaked. we'll explain all of that on "around the world." hey kevin...still eating chalk for heartburn? yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome. these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief!
9:12 am
9:13 am
medicare open enrollment. new alkof year again.ts chews. time to compare plans and costs. you don't have to make changes. but it never hurts to see if you can find better coverage, save money, or both. and check out the preventive benefits you get after the health care law. open enrollment ends december 7th. so now's the time. visit medicare.gov or call 1-800-medicare
9:14 am
cortizone-10 has the strongest nonprescription itch medicine plus moisturizers to help heal skin fast. cortizone-10. feel the heal. all right. the latest chapter in this, did toronto's crack-smoking mayor try to buy a video that allegedly showed him doing just
9:15 am
that puffing on a crack pipe? the latest in the ever growing scandal. >> new court documents indicate the mayor, rob ford, allegedly offered cash and a car in exchange for the incriminating video. information is coming from police wiretaps of suspected gang members. they were quoted as saying, rob ford was smoking his rocks. >> that's what you say apparently. >> that's what they say. >> another time they claim he was doing heroin. there are many other shocking statements in these court documents. the mayor was on the radio today denying it all. >> what do you sty that? these are wiretapped from gang members who say that you offered $5,000, if not more, $150,000 and a car, to confiscate the video of you doing crack on the tape? what would you say to that? >> number one, that's an outright lie. and number two, you can talk to my lawyers about it. but i'm here to talk football.
9:16 am
>> cnn legal correspondent jean casarez joins us new york. you read the court documents. you can look at the source, too talking about drug-dealing gang members and all of the rest of it but it fits in what was being discussed anyway. >> that's true. but there's such an irony in this because this was a year-long investigation, a massive investigation, by the toronto police department, not against the mayor of toronto, but against this alleged drug gang, the dixon city bloods. as they're monitoring phone calls, because the judge allowed the wiretap of 59 different phones they're hearing conversations that have to do with the mayor of toronto. we have no information at all based on documents that they ever knew the mayor may have allegedly been involved with these dealers. but the fact is, i think the headline from it is that on the tape one of the alleged drug dealers said that he was in a conversation with a man not named, but we believe it was the mayor, saying that he would be
9:17 am
given $5,000 and a car if he didn't release the video, and that's the alleged crack video police say that they have in their hands. >> explain this to it's. you have him acknowledging last month rather that he did smoke crack in a drunken stupor, that's part of what he acknowledged here. now you've got this. is there any point where they would arrest him? he's still out and about, right? >> you know? he is. and people are saying, why ant he arrested? when he admitted to that, that's confession, right? drugs are illegal. we know this investigation was much broader than it was believed, because once investigators with the toronto police department found that the mayor was visiting crack houses, was allegedly taking drugs, doing drugs, it could be broader and allegedly making ai deal to buy a video. he's trying to get money
9:18 am
allegedly for the video. we have to stay tuned because investigators are working on this case. i'm sure prosecutors involved to see what charges, if any, can come from this. >> what a story this is. jean casarez, thanks so much. of course he's still got the job that the council stripped way most of the powers. >> they still has a job. incredible. most people would not. >> and provider of much fodder for the news, too. >> that's true. >> still to come here on "around the world," nigella lawson back on the witness stand. talked about her cocaine use and troubled marriage. what she's going to say today? a live report. [ female announcer ] thanks for financing my first car. thanks for giving me your smile. thanks for inspiring me. thanks for showing me my potential. for teaching me not to take life so seriously. thanks for loving me and being my best friend. don't forget to thank those
9:19 am
who helped you take charge of your future and got you where you are today. the boss of your life. the chief life officer. ♪ the chi♪f life officer. (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities.
9:20 am
and better is so easy withrning you cabenefiber.o something better for yourself. fiber that's taste-free, grit-free and dissolves completely. so you can feel free to add it to anything. and feel better about doing it. better it with benefiber.
9:21 am
9:22 am
in the florida everglades, it looks like they've gotten well-needed help. i want to bring in john zarre a zarrella. what is the latest here? have they been successful? >> reporter: yeah, this is really, really good news. what we are hearing now, we are here in the gulf of mexico, we just caught up with the stranding rescue team and the whales are gone. i'll repeat that. the whales are gone. they can't find them. a coast guard overflight of this part of the gulf of mexico and off the florida everglades did spot a large pod of whales in the 30s, they cannot confirm that it is the same group, but they are optimistic that it is and that group was 11 miles
9:23 am
offshore. so, they have moved well offshore into deep water and the stranding team -- >> sounds like we lost john there. i mean, that is great news, if they are, 11 miles off. i don't know about you, i covered whale strandings in australia and elsewhere, too. the thing is, they'll often go up the coast a bit and do it again. hopefully that won't happen here. often a determination when they do the beachings they're go do it. >> ten had died, four euthanized because they were in poor condition, you hope there were many, many whales able to make it out. >> hopefully they keep going further out, yep, and don't turn up up the coast. let's turn to the deadly train derailment in new york. two passengers now suing the railroad for negligence after being injured in the deadly
9:24 am
train derailment that happened in the bronx. one victim's attorney says she was pinned inside an overturned car for an hour, fracturing her spine, collarbone and ribs. >> her lawyer says the railroad has been slow to adopt technology that could have prevented the accident. four people died, dozens injured when the train jumped the tracks sunday rounding a curve. a union representative told cnn the train's engineer was nodding off before the accident. >> the engineer's lawyer says he was in a hypnotic-like daze before he realized something was wrong then hit the brakes, too late, unpafortunately. the train was fratraveling thre times the speed limit. watch this. so this is the scene, at a
9:25 am
mcdonald's, new york city earlier this morning, and the protesters are say, we can't survive on $7.25. that's what many fast food workers make an hour, $7.25, the minimum wage. >> they're calling for up to $15, particularly expensive cities. protests held in more than 100 cities today from california to the east coast and sprinkled throughout the west and midwest. all right. we're going it take a short break. we'll talk about nigella lawson, celebrity chef and court case she's involved in. just left court after giving testimony for a second day and her drug use was raised again even though she's not the one on trial. [ male announcer ] research suggests cell health
9:26 am
plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+. humans. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. namely, other humans. which is why, at liberty mutual insurance, auto policies come with new car replacement and accident forgiveness if you qualify. see what else comes standard at libertymutual.com. liberty mutual insurance.
9:27 am
responsibility. what's your policy? ...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals. it's durable, cloth-like and it's 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to bounty duratowel.
9:28 am
the durable, cloth-like picker-upper. where their electricity comes from. they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪
9:29 am
on the table by not choosing the right medicare d plan. no one could have left this much money here. whoo-hoo-hoo! yet many seniors who compare medicare d plans realize they can save hundreds of dollars. cvs/pharmacy wants to help you save on medicare expenses. talk to your cvs pharmacist, call, or go to cvs.com/compare to get your free, personalized plan comparison today. call, go online, or visit your local store today. celebrity chef nigella lawson testified today that she is ashamed of using cocaine. she took the stand for a second day in the trial of her two former personal assistants accuse order embezzling hundreds of thousands from her billionaire ex-husband's company
9:30 am
credit cards. >> over $1 million in total. the trial branched out into well, airing dirty laundry, lawson has said she was bullied by her ex into testifying against the assistants and her drug use has come out in the testimony that relates to the case. erin mclaughlin following it in west london. another tawdry day in court. what did we hear? >> reporter: that's right, michael. just a short while ago we saw nigella lawson leave the courthouse concluding a second and final day of testimony. during the testimony, she faced more allegations from the defense of habitual cocaine use, claiming she kept the drug inside her jewelry box, defense also claiming a drug dealer would come to her house, claims she responded to by saying, quote, i have never known or
9:31 am
seen a drug dealer in my life. i was given them. she also went on to say, quote, people who are regular cocaine users do not look like this. gesturing at her body and face. now, during yesterday's testimony, she did admit to having used the drug cocaine on two separate life phases, troubling times during her life but she's not a habitual drug use somewhere not a drug at dig. also went on to talk about she never at point allowed the defendants to use the saatchi credit cards at their leisure saying, quote, there were not written down rule but was they were not for personal use unless directed now the prosecution in this case alleging the sisters charged over a million dollars fraudulently to the saatchi credit cards. the sisters denying those
9:32 am
charges, pointing to lawson's habitual drug abuse saying she knew about the charges. today, nigella lawson denying that in court. michael and suzanne? >> a downward spiral. appreciate that. and you know, i mean, so many other things are coming through in this trial, this is just started off one thing and then -- now it's everybody in trouble. >> she's a headlinemaker, the best of times, particularly england. her father was the chancellor, a treasurer for the country. >> exactly. >> and she's got her own tv show, on tv in the u.s. as well. tacky stuff, got to be said. all right, we are going to attack a short break. when we come back, we'll look at this cold and windy along the north sea today. talking europe. it's supposed to be, it is winter, but there is nasty weather on the way. the folk there's are bracing for a storm surge that could rival a big storm from 1953. don't look now, but the nsa
9:33 am
might be tracking where you are. talking about the cell phone and that story up ahead. twins. i didn't see them coming. i have obligations. cute obligations, but obligations. i need to rethink the core of my portfolio. what i really need is sleep. introducing the ishares core, building blocks for the heart of your portfolio. find out why 9 out of 10 large professional investors choose ishares for their etfs. ishares by blackrock. call 1-800-ishares for a prospectus which includes investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. read and consider it carefully before investing. risk includes possible loss of principal. yeah... try new alka seltzer fruit chews. they work fast on heartburn and taste awesome.
9:34 am
these are good. told ya! i'm feeling better already. [ male announcer ] new alka seltzer fruits chews. enjoy the relief! tomato florentine soup, it took a little time to get it just right. [ ding ] ♪ but finally, it happened. perfection. at progresso, we've got a passion for quality, because you've got a passion for taste. if every u.s. home replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, the energy saved could light how many homes? 1 million? 2 million? 3 million? the answer is... 3 million homes. by 2030, investments in energy efficiency could help americans save $300 billion each year. take the energy quiz. energy lives here.
9:35 am
9:36 am
all right. reminding you of one of the top stories. an american teaching school in benghazi, libya, shot and killed, reportedly while doing morning exercises, this happening not far from the u.s. conso consulate where the u.s. ambassador and three other americans and killed in a september attack last year. new video receiving, the street where -- you saw it a
quote
9:37 am
moment ago, where the street attack took place. the chemistry teacher was working at an international school in benghazi, but we don't know what the motive might have been behind this. we also know that an al qaeda spokesman, has put out a video asking libyans to wise up against the united states and asked the arrest of a libyan be avenged seeking revenge. we don't know, how far, if the store stories are related. new details about how the national security agency gathers nearly 5 billion cell phone records around the world every day. those records are put into a huge database that contract the movements of individuals, map their relationships, how they're connected work they're calling were creates a web of information. >> bringing in our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, on this story because, barbara, you hear about all of this, the cell phone locations and who they're trying to trace, is it
quote quote
9:38 am
americans, americans living abroad, how expansive is this, if you're overseas and you're on the phone? >> reporter: well, we don't know a lot about how expansive it is. "the washington post" reporting that this all came from more leaks by, guess who, edward snowden and documents that he had, and that is it about 5 billion cell phone records a day. how much does it affect americans? well, by all accounts, if you're an american, you're out of the country on business or may vation, you pick up your cell phone, use it, that call that record of that call, not the conversation itself, is most likely to be recorded by the nsa. why are they doing this? they're trying to establish a huge database of connections. they have terror suspects they want to go after, look at that, they look at who might be calling them and work their way back through this web of
quote
9:39 am
information. but you know, advocates in the united states and around the world are going to be extremely concerned about this thinking it's another chip away into personal privacy in this cyberage. >> u.s. is not meant to monitor americans but if you're overseas, you're fair game, they're picking up -- vacuuming up all of this traffic, right? >> reporter: yeah, that's certainly part of the problem. the nsa is not under law allowed to collect information on americans, but in this, you know, again, in the cyberconnected world, overseas and nsa freely admitted that there are times when they perhaps inadvertently, incidentally collect information on americans, not supposed to happen. as we talk about, you go on into the internet, click a few times, a commercial provider is recording the record of those transactions as well. we're getting into that age where concept of privacy's limited. >> forget about it.
quote quote
9:40 am
>> if you're overseas, you're make ago phone call, there's no protection? going to track it? >> they can. >> they're doing it, but can you fight back? >> well, that's a really good question. i don't know. i suppose you can call the nsa and object but you're not going to get very far. >> i want to go on the do not call list. >> reporter: i don't mean to dismiss the question, it's hugely valid, if you're trying to call home, trying to call your office, we at cnn around the world who knows how many cell phone calls we make around the globe to our sources and we don't expect that to be tracked by the government. and i think many citizens in other countries don't expect the nsa to be tracking their calls either. >> yes. exactly. talk about americans offended but what about overseas fair game? barbara starr. your phone -- you can track the phone sitting there you don't have to be on it. >> true.
9:41 am
not a privacy. >> forget about it. there is no privacy. a truck stolen in mexico with radioactive waste. it could have turned into a dirty bomb. now the truck found outside mexico city. >> yeah, the radioactive material had been forced open, so how do you keep all of that safe? if you're the thief, you probably -- you're probably in trouble. nick parker's on the story in mexico. just tell us where the truck was found and we discussed this yesterday, these guys probably didn't know what they were getting into. >> reporter: that's right, michael. the theory is they still didn't know what they were taking when they hijacked that. it was found 40 kilometers away from where it was -- the truck was originally stolen on monday morning after a massive multiagency task force found out
9:42 am
over sen serven states discovere hour north of mexico city. they discover one kilometer away from the vehicle the container of cobalt 60 radioactive material which had been open. most of the cobalt appears to have been there. at this stage, nuclear safety officials are trying to establish for sure whether or not it has gone missing. they're in the process of determining that. it's a hive of activity, obviously, as you can imagine. radiation was discovered in that area. >> so, nick, tell us about the area here, the neighborhood. how many people potentially could be sick? what about these guys exposed to theed theed a yo active. they could be in danger of getting sick and dying from the radioactivity. >> could they be dead already? a fair exposure, wasn't it? >> well, at this stage, they are still at large.
9:43 am
what authorities have said, members of the public are not in any danger of this radioactive material. if they stay within 20 meters away from this material. but obviously, the thieves who opened this container would have had direct contact with it. certainly authorities are expecting these men to be experiencing some kind of radiation sickness or burns and they are closely monitoring clinics for patients coming in with those symptoms. >> oops. yeah. they didn't know what they were getting into. nick parker in mexico city, thanks. it opened up all kinds -- this trucking company was not following the rules, either. didn't have the right security for this payload. >> had no idea what they were involved with. >> they should have had more security on the truck itself and the gps didn't have any of that, so they're looking back at all of that the security. >> amazing. also another story we're following, the weather. cold, windy, along the north sea today. of course it's supposed to be that way, it is winter.
9:44 am
talking about something bigger and nastier coming. wait until you see how folks in europe are bracing for a wave of severe weather next, "around the world." [ female announcer ] thanks for financing my first car. thanks for giving me your smile. thanks for inspiring me. thanks for showing me my potential. for teaching me not to take life so seriously. thanks for loving me and being my best friend. don't forget to thank those who helped you take charge of your future and got you where you are today. the boss of your life. the chief life officer. ♪
9:45 am
you give them the giggles. tylenol cold® helps relieve your worst cold and flu symptoms. but for everything we do, we know you do so much more. tylenol cold®. but chantix helped me do it. i told my doctor i think i'm... i'm ready. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. i knew that i could smoke for the first 7 days. i knew that i wasn't putting nicotine back into my body to try to quit. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior,
9:46 am
thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. if i could describe being a nonsmoker, i would say "awesome." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. yeah. i heard about progressive's "name your price" tool? i guess you can tell them how much you want to pay and it gives you a range of options to choose from. huh? i'm looking at it right now. oh, yeah? yeah.
9:47 am
what's the... guest room situation? the "name your price" tool, making the world a little more progressive. you often see this in times of need, people helping each other out. have a look. crews and trucks, equipment, all of this in florida, and they're getting on the road, of course we're saying it's warm in florida, they're headed for arkansas, ahead of a big winter storm that's about to hit. >> more than 300 contractors, they're going by convoy, and they're going to be able to place, get into place, help get power restored, lights turned back on. the big snow and ice storm should hit the little rock area, talking about sometime tonight. take a look at dallas here because yesterday 80 grows. today, snow and ice, below freezing tonight, line of
9:48 am
serious winter storms from new mexico to ohio. it's incredible. it's hard to understand. >> it's broad. let's call it that. by the waying we just learned that american airlines has protectively canceled, that's the word they're using, 500 flights out of dallas-ft. worth due to the weather they don't want to get up in the air and find there's nowhere to land. if you're in dallas-ft. worth, check your flight into tough going for europe, uk, netherlands, germany. weather is about to get nasty. talking about gale-force winds cutting power to thousands of homes. airports are closed. trains are not running. worst of the storm hasn't even hit yet. want to bring in matthew chance on the east coast of england on the north sea in great yarmuth to talk about how are folks coping. >> reporter: well, you can see what's going on behind me,
9:49 am
they're coping by filling up sandbags, the sand's been put down by the local authorities, filling up sandbags so they can go back to homes that are in areas that may be flooded later on and put those sandbags by their front doors and by their garages to limit any damage because what we've been told is likely to happen here is over the course of the next five or six hours is potentially one of the biggest storm surges, one of the biggest tidal surges this region has seen in the last six decades. so, very high winds, winds have dropped over the past couple of minute but was they're going to pick up later on. very high tides. an area of low pressure as well. all combined to make the perfect conditions really for very, very severe flooding indeed, and the environmental agency here in britain issued 41 severe flood warnings across the entire eastern seaboard of the united kingdom. it's been a fatal storm.
9:50 am
at least two people in britain have been killed, another two saylers off the coast of sweden reported to have been swept off their vessel. search and rescue teams unable to find them. a lot of peep as well, thousands of people here in great yarmuth told to evacuate their homes. some are listening, some are choosing to stay and take their chances. >> please be safe. this is one of those storms, storm surge is supposed to make the history books. a very big deal. >> comparing it to 1953 where in the netherlands alone you had 1300 people died but the storm defenses are better than they were back then. there's 1953. 300 people died in great britain, 1800 i think in the netherlands when that flooding happened. but they've got more defenses now. the barrier on the river thames for example, a barrier that comes up from the ground and blocks the river basically to stop the storm surge there. hopefully not going to see those sorts of losses. >> got to hope at least an
9:51 am
advanced warning, this thing is coming and it is huge. following top stories now. secretary of state john kerry in the middle east, he's been meeting with israeli prime minister netanyahu for the first time since a fallout over a nuclear deal with iran. you might remember the israeli leader called the agreement a historic mistake. >> after today's talks, kerry said he can't emphasize enough israel's security at top of the u.s. agenda and they did discuss the stalled peace talks with the palestinians as well. an important story about a country that not everybody in the united states knows about. the central african republic is warning of total chaos there. the u.n. just voted the security council to put more african union and french troops on the ground there. france, of course, the former colonial power. there have been heavy gunfire in the capital overnight. you can see people scrambling for cover there. what happened in the central
9:52 am
african republic is that muslim rebels kicked out the president, took over and other rebels coming in a battle of christian and muslim. 5 million people, 10% forced from their homes. this is a dire situation in the central african republic. france warned potential of genocide. we've got reporters in country and keeping an eye on development. yemen, militants launched a deadly attack in the capital. a hospital was targeted, 30 people killed including four international doctors. militants rammed the vehicle with a vehicle loaded with explosives. yemen is home to al qaeda in the arabian pen fins la. rich peach frople from one y snapping up real estate.
9:53 am
>> who and where, up next. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] everyone deserves the gift of all day pain relief. this season, discover aleve. all day pain relief with just two pills.
9:54 am
and our giant idaho potato truck is still missing. so my dog and i we're going to go find it. it's out there somewhere spreading the good word about idaho potatoes and raising money for meals on wheels. but we'd really like our truck back, so if you see it, let us know, would you? thanks. what?
9:55 am
but add brand new belongings from nationwide insurance and we won't just give you the partial value of items that are stolen or destroyed... ...we'll replace them with brand-new versions. so you won't feel robbed. again. just another way we put members first. because we don't have shareholders. join the nation.
9:56 am
♪ nationwide is on your side ♪ let's have a look at the big board. the dow is down. here's why i don't get the business world, down despite positive reports about the u.s. economy. yes, the economic figures were good, claims for jobs were down,
9:57 am
but what worries investors quantitative easing might be backed off, they get nervous. good figures, dow goes down. >> call your investor today. >> someone who knows about these, zain asher at the new york stock exchange. you've been watching a train of wealthy chinese people buying up real estate. >> absolutely. so, yeah, chinese nationals buying up american real estate. 18% of all new home purchases made by foreigners came from chinese nationals. part of the reason, economic growth rates in china. know they've slowed in recent years, they are still impressive by world standards. last year 7.8%, china's the world's second largest economy look at the exchange rates, chinese yuan strengthening, chinese can get more for their money when they inrest in the united states. 70% of chinese nationals that invest in american homes make
9:58 am
all cash purchases and not only that, they're buying more expense everybody properties. they're spending on average $425,000 on a home when compared to the average price of an american home which is $200,000. in terms of where they're investing, new york, la. economic robust cities but place like detroit, which might surprise people given the economic hardship in detroit. they're buying up properties for cheap and fixing them up and then renting them out. it's not only a business opportunity as well. >> cash-rich, happening in other countries, it. chinese got a lot of money to spend. got to let you go. zain asher in new york. looking at this, what is trending. north korea, here is why the group amendment necessity international is convinced that the north korean government is expanding its network of prison camps and now building new ones. based on a series of slight images that were taken years apart that show lots of new
9:59 am
construction and other developments nearby. human rights groups believe as many as 200,000 people are held in north korean labor camps, including children. north korean officials deny that the camps even exist. in the middle east, the tv show "arabs got talent," it's the name of the show, a big hit. a singer from the united states is taking the show by storm. here's mohammed jamjoon. >> reporter: jennifer grout the all-american with an arab voice. she's become a fan favorite on popular middle eastern tv talent show "arabs got talent" singing classic arabic songs. many people think she'll win outright come saturday. she's honored to be singing era big music and hopes to continue to do so in the future. >> the finals, sunday night, beirut. learned to sing in arabic before
10:00 am
she could speak arabic. >> not an easy language to learn. good for her. we'll see how she does. >> good-bye from us. >> thanks for watching. c"cnn newsroom" starts now. right now the economy's growing but stocks are sinking. we'll tell you why. also, right now fast food workers are sending a message, minimum wage is not enough to live on. walking off their jobs. goal is to double their pay. and right now, the killing of an american in benghazi, libya. it's being investigated, reportedly a school teacher and he's described as someone who is, quote, sweet to everyone. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com hello, i'm wolf blitzer in washington. first up, the health of the u.s. economy and your 401(k), a key checkup